New segment of Texas 130 opens Oct. 24

Updated 10:43 pm, Thursday, October 11, 2012

Photo: William Luther

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A smaller road crosses over the still-under-construction Texas 130 between Lockhart and Seguin this summer. An extension from south Austin to Seguin is the state's first public-private toll road to open to traffic.

A smaller road crosses over the still-under-construction Texas 130 between Lockhart and Seguin this summer. An extension from south Austin to Seguin is the state's first public-private toll road to open to

An extension of the toll road Texas 130, stretching from Seguin to South Austin, will open by Nov. 11. The road will connect to an existing toll road that ends in Georgetown. The toll system will be entirely automated: drivers will either be billed via electronic toll tags or by mail.

An extension of the toll road Texas 130, stretching from Seguin to South Austin, will open by Nov. 11. The road will connect to an existing toll road that ends in Georgetown. The toll system will be entirely

Workers pave sections of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already open, from Georgetown to just south of Austin. The new section is being built by the private company Cintra-Zachary.

Workers pave sections of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by

Workers pave a section of Texas 130 on Monday July 23, 2012. The road is the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already open, from Georgetown to just south of Austin. The new section is being built by the private company Cintra-Zachary.

Workers pave a section of Texas 130 on Monday July 23, 2012. The road is the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio.

Southeast view of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already open, from Georgetown to just south of Austin. The new section is being built by the private company Cintra-Zachary.

Southeast view of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the

Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already open, from Georgetown to just south of Austin. The new section is being built by the private company Cintra-Zachary. less

Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already ... more

Photo: Helen L. Montoya, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Southeast view of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the state, is already open, from Georgetown to just south of Austin. The new section is being built by the private company Cintra-Zachary.

Southeast view of Texas 130, the state's first public-private toll road, opens this fall, ending in Seguin at I-10. It will be the first toll road near San Antonio. Part of Texas 130, which was built by the

Texas 130 is the state's first public-private toll road. The public/private option is necessary for Texas to meet infrastructure needs.

Texas 130 is the state's first public-private toll road. The public/private option is necessary for Texas to meet infrastructure needs.

Photo: Helen L. Montoya, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

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Work trucks travel along the construction site near Staples, where the Texas 130 toll road is being built.

Work trucks travel along the construction site near Staples, where the Texas 130 toll road is being built.

Photo: BOB OWEN, Bob Owen/Express-News

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New segment of Texas 130 opens Oct. 24

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A Central Texas toll road with an 85 mph speed limit — the highest in the country — will open to traffic Oct. 24.

And for the first two weeks driving on the toll road will be free. Drivers will have to pay starting Nov. 11, the last day the project could have opened to traffic and not be in violation of a construction contract.

Though most of the work on the road is complete, drivers may notice some “touch up work,” like tree-planting, on the road in the first two weeks it's open, Lippincott said.

Construction of the road, which stretches from South Austin to Interstate 10 in Seguin, began in 2009. The 41-mile corridor is an extension of an existing toll road, Texas 130, which connects Georgetown to South Austin. Together, the entire section of toll road is 90 miles.

The Texas 130 toll system will be entirely automated. Drivers will either buy an electronic toll tag, or a bill will be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner.

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Personal vehicles will be able to drive for about 15 cents per mile if the vehicles are outfitted with the electronic toll tag — which means it would cost about $6.17 to drive the entire extension, Lippincott said. The cost will be slightly higher for vehicles without the tag.

Commercial trucks, such as 18-wheelers, that are outfitted with the tags will pay 60 cents per mile, or $24.58 to drive the whole corridor, Lippincott said.

In all, the SH 130 Concession Co. spent about $1.4 billion on the project. That includes $100 million the company agreed to pay the Texas Department of Transportation, after the state approved the 85 mph limit for the Texas 130 extension.

The speed limit on the existing section of the toll road is 80 mph.

Those speeds have garnered praise but also raised safety concerns. Some truck drivers and trucking companies have said they can't safely drive at speeds that high. Others have raised questions about the road's route, because it ends about 30 miles outside of San Antonio's city limits.

Terri Hall, founder of the anti-toll road group Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, called the toll rates “staggering” and said drivers could spend up to $24 if they took the new and state-owned parts of the toll road roundtrip.

“That's 24 bucks to take this road 30 miles outside of your way,” Hall said.

The new Texas 130 segment is the state's first public-private toll road. The state owns the road and right-of-way, but the SH 130 Concession Co., owned by Spain-based Cintra and a San Antonio company, Zachry American Infrastructure, funded the construction. The two companies also partnered on Gov. Rick Perry's ill-fated plan for a Trans-Texas Corridor.

Hall said TURF is asking people to boycott all Cintra-owned roads — a first for the advocacy group.

“Let's protest in the only language they understand, and that's with money,” she said.

SH 130 will pay for the road's ongoing maintenance and operations for 50 years, according to a lease with TxDOT.

The company and the state will share the toll revenues.

“Given the infrastructure funding challenges that we face as a country, the role of the private sector is likely to increase,” Lippincott said. “We feel confident that our project will provide an important example of how to deliver infrastructure that can make a difference for businesses and families.”

Though the road's opening is only two weeks away, the SH 130 Concession launched a robust advertising campaign early this month.

Billboards have popped up in San Antonio, referencing both the road's speed limit and its purported convenience: “Don't just hug the road,” the signs say. “Embrace it.” Underneath, in white type against a red background, the sign promises, “A better way between Austin & San Antonio.”